Supplication | Russian River Brewing Company

0 characters.
We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters. Awesome. Thanks for the review!

In English, explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.

Notes / Commercial Description:
Brown Ale aged in used Pinot Noir barrels from local Sonoma County wineries. It is aged for about 12 months with sour cherries, brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus added to each barrel. Flavors from the cherries, Pinot Noir and oak balance each other nicely with a little funk from the brett.

Reviews by acolby:

More User Reviews:

Batch 001. Aged in pinot noir barrels for over a year, with sour cherries, Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus (oh my!) introduced over the course. Presented in an awesome 375 ml corked-and-caged bottle.

Decanted ever-so-slowly so as not to rouse the sediment, the beer pours a brilliant deep orange with reddish hues. Active carbonation rises to form a half-inch layer of off-white foam that rests at a ringed lace. Big, Lambic-like aroma--tart and barnyardy--but much cleaner, with suggestions of sweet fruits and bread. First sip is an awakening of the senses, with a big smack of tartness and a pleasing acidic sharpness. Sour-cherry flavors run deep, and also provide a gentle sweet- ness and fruitiness to counter the tartness. Suggestions of weathered hops and leafy undertones within light tannins. Cheesy wine and oak provide some background complexities and are cushioned by a layer of Brett breadiness. Finish is very vinous, with a lingering tartness, tannins and a dry, puckering finish.

One of the best examples of American artisan brewing to have met our palates. Period. Don't bother pairing this one with any food. It's to be indulged in on its own. Batch 002 is on sale now at their website ($11), and they'll ship to about half of the states in the US.

S- Tartness of a lambic but clean like an American ale. Well maybe not totally clean as there is a mild cellar / barn yard character from the wild yeast in the aroma. I can barely pick out the sour cherries in the aroma as the wood blankets the nose. Fruit cake?

T- A thick layer of bready malt runs up against a solid tartness, both don't collide yet they meld together. Big wild yeast flare with a weathered hop bite in the middle. Big snap of tartness flows with a mild sweetness from the cherries and malt. The woodiness is more of back ground character yet adds more complexity to the brew than anything else IMO. More tartness and a growing woody dryness in the finish.

M- Creamy with a bitty wood bite that leads to a dry palate.

D- So easy to quaff that I struggled to savor every drop.

By far the best American beer I have had this year, It is beers like this that inspire and show where modern American brewers can go ... there are no boundaries.

Nose: sour, cherries, suggestion of wine, faint malt.
Pours: brilliant garnet tinted amber – almost a brandy color, under a stiff finely bubbled off-white foam cap with a faint pink tint.
Palate: Cherry, lemon, light funk, tart. The cherries are excellently done and are well balanced by the tartness and the rich malt flavors cavorting in the background. As the beer warms slightly more elegance emerges as the pinot noir flavors emerge and mingle with the malt. Long lingering tart cherry flavors dominate the aftertaste.
Medium body and medium to above on the carbonation.

Look: Pours an opaque burnt crimson color, no head, quickly dissipating lace.
Smell: Dominated by oak and white grape, tart cherries, and peach. The woodiness is an amazing afterthought that is so crucial to the balance of aromas. The yeast even give it a slight hint of mold and grain.
Taste: So much going on here. Very tart, but with such strong notes of Pinot grapes. The subtle acidity finishes with strong oak barrel influences and a very subtle smokiness in the finish. Fruit notes of tart cherry and peach again evident in the taste.
Feel: Very dry body, seltzery and medium bodied. Although it has sweet characteristics, it is definitely a lip smacker.

An amazing experience. I've never had a sour so positively influenced by its containing barrel. You get notes of all the right things, and the yeast adds just enough chaos of funky tartness to perfect this beer's amazing profile. Get this bad boy while you can.

UPDATE: Still an amazing brew, but after having multiple different batches and many other similar sours, just amending the numbers a bit (2/23/18).

This is my favorite RRB and beer in general. It has opened my eyes to the potential of sour beers. The cherry flavor is exquisite.

Note: This beer is extremely sour. Don't expect to chug this or even think about ordering this without time to slowly drink and enjoy. Even though I love this, I cannot make myself drink this fast. The sourness is so extreme that it takes some time to adjust to. It is kind of like getting hit in the head with a heavy object.

But the sour cherry flavor makes it my favorite beer by far. I live near RRB and probably drink one 375ML bottle of this beer every week. I don't even care that it costs ~$13. It is worth it.

Pours a hazy, darker amber with a mild head and some delicious cherry and sour funk notes emanating out. Goes down incredibly smooth and not too bitter at all on the back-end. The cherry flavors are a highlight and provide a very different takeaway than most sours. There's a reason this one's so well regarded.

"Batch 006X2. Corked popped off with force. Pours a nice ruby color with a moderate white head. Aroma of sweet and tart cherries with great vanilla cream. Although this one has a much more subtle aroma, I really like the vanilla and wine grape. The beer is a very mouth puckering, medium bodied and well carbonated delight. Well balanced. Not too sweet or dry, with a lingering fruit finish. Very nice. I wish I could get ahold of more Russian River beers."

I would have never thought in a thousand years when I began reviewing beers that my first perfect score would be a wild ale. I honestly hated the first few I tried. I have tried to think of any reason to knock this one down a notch but honestly I can't find anything wrong with it!

Appearance: Gorgeous copper red with some brown notes, a little hazy and a beautiful creamy head that just lies there throughout the drinking of this gem.

Aroma: Soft tart cherries, some brett notes, some earthy notes and a slight grape note from no doubt the Pinot barrels, but not overly potent, very nuanced this one. The layering of the aromas is truly magnificent.

Taste: First you get some mild tart notes, but not really sour, just balanced. The Pinot Noir is definitely detected in the flavors, oakey vinous notes dominate, a slight farmhouse note but very subtle, not one that hits you in a dominant way. This beer has a nice clean carbonation on the tongue but it is also very creamy to the mouthfeel. I really don't know how they do it!

Overall: As I said before this is a perfect beer in every way. I am truly surprised. I want more and hope I can obtain many more, I have to be able to share this one with friends, its too good to have all to myself! Thanks man for the trade, truly incredible experience!

The nose on this is off the chain can't even begin to describe it. The taste is tart at first, and then a sour dark fruit takes over that leads to a finish of oak goodness. You can really taste the age on this. The pinot wine is their and the barrel shines. I guess this is why this is a world class beer you can actually taste the care that was taken in this beer.

L - pours a clear reddish copper, but this is so dark and crimson that it's actually opaque! Ominous bubbles linger on the bottom of the glass as the tightly backed, velvety head subsides.

S - sour candy and rusted metal. A dark tart cherry with hints of raspberry and lime. Has an enticing, nostril-filling air about it that's hard to explain. Asserts itself with a strong and commanding present that is unrelenting.

T - artfully crafted. Exerts a potent acidic tartness filled with flavors of cherry, Brett, and oak. An elegant vinous character creeps through toward the third act and finishes strong. This beer knows what it wants and will accept no compromise. Pink grapefruit abounds and coats the mouth with a waxy, oily residue that slowly imparts increasing sourness as time passes. The hops duke it out with the sour in the most civilized way, to the point where you're rooting for both, reflecting on the good points each is making in this debate. It finally hits you that they're not really fighting, but cooperating, and the tingling sensation absorbs into your gums and tongue... marinating.

F - full-bodied and robust. Most sours are weak glass cannons, but this one has the backbone to stay strong!

O - I think I like this more than Consecration. Beautiful menagerie of flavor. Both forceful and classy. This is the kind of man I wish to be when I grow up.

One of the best smelling beers I've ever had. My wife who hates cherries and is not a big sour fan agreed about the smell. She did shudder after drinking it though.
I loved it. Perfect tartness and the perfect level of funk. Great feel for a sour. I opened it last night after my nephew scored me another bottle from the brewery (along with several others)! Not sure if I should age it longer or not?
This was bottled in early January of 2015, so it was almost 8 months old. It sure hit the spot for me. Hard to imagine it being better.

Russian River Supplication has a medium, white head, a murky, amber appearance, some noticed suspended yeast chunks, and low-level lacing left on the glass. The aroma is of sourness, up front, but there’s a background maltiness, brown bread crust, fruitiness of a type, and the flavor is of tart cherry skins, semi-sweet malt, sour and sweet fruit, and essentially no bitterness. Even a nutty, woody, cherry seed. Also, barrel-aged wood. Mouthfeel is medium, and Russian River Supplication finishes semi-dry and exquisite.

This is one of my all time favorite beers. The last time I got to enjoy this beauty was while visiting the Stone brewery. There were so many amazing choices, but i could not pass up this one while sitting out on the Stone patio. I'm kicking myself that I did not bring any home with me to MN.

Wow what an awesome sour! Never thought I wud have a better sour then concecration but I just did!! Brought this baby from Russian River back home to so cal in imperial.. And enjoyed it with boy Jared..

pours an inviting amber-mahogany color. The most sophisticated description of smell that I could initially muster was: sour. After giving the beer a minute to breathe, though, it reveals fragrances of cherry and cranberry that then give way to scents of green apple and lime. Taking the first sip is an experience unto itself. While the nose gives you every indication that you should expect a Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple-Cranberry concoction, the sour profile puts your tongue in a chokehold. This aggressive taste eventually does mellow and reveal an oaky red wine flavor. Tannins are present and add to the tartness of the sour cherries. Overall, this beer is one of the pinnacle sours available today. And beyond all else, you have to love the fact that the carbonation bubbles – like the old man in Up – continue their journey through the very last sip. (1,510 characters)

12/2014 Vintage reviewed on 3/13/16:
Pours an amber/copper with small off white head. Aroma of green apple, oak, funk, slight wine barrel, slight malt. Flavor follows the aroma with hints of cherry and a slightly different "twang than the other bottle reviewed that was 1 yr younger(fresh). The year of age has affected the color and flavor of this beer tremendously. I get much less of a red color, and much more funk and acetic notes than the fresh bottle. It is neither good nor bad comparing, just different. Very pleasing. More vinous. Carbonation is slightly higher but not tremendously.

Smell. You sure this is beer? lol. Smells of heavy influence of the wine barrel. Slight tone of fruit.

Taste. WOW. Holey f*ck. 4 years ago, regardless of the $12 price point I would have poured this beer out. Now, understanding the process that made this beer it is impressive. This is a palette cleanser. This is like wine and beer had an affair and this is the illegitimate child from that process. Very tart and sour with plenty of pinot noir tones.

Mouthfeel. Tart, dry, semi bitter. SOUR. very nice.

Overall: If you are in search of a sour beer, this is one of the tops, This will light your taste buds up like licking a 9 volt battery!And thats about it, not much for flavor, price point is off by a mile, and this is something that you would rather have a sample of, not too many people would sit down and enjoy this beer IMO, this is one you split between 5 or 6 people just to say you've had it.

Now THIS is what a sour beer should taste like! Supplication has been on my bucket list for a long time and it's so nice when something actually lives up to the hype. The flavor of wine comes through loud and clear on this one and though it is sour it is not overly so. Really the only way I can adequately describe it is to say that it is delicious

Bottled 1/16/15 and poured into an oversized wine glass. Exceptional carbonation as expected with resilient head/lacing. Beautiful color. Flavors from the cherries, Pinot Noir and barrel complement each other well. I know there are plenty of fantastic sours out there and but the standard by which they are still measured are those from Russian River.

My buddy came back from Cali with a 3 litre bottle of this from the brewpup. It was a celebration to have this beer in the midwest. good sour flavor. I really enjoyed popping the cork on such a large bottle...it felt like being in the winner circle after an F1 race win!

Pours a slightly hazy amber with a thin head that fades entirely pretty quickly.

Nose is funk forward, tinge of sour and vinegar with some bright over ripe fruit, definitely cherries on the top.

Flavor is exactly as expected except maybe even more sour than expected. Definitely a solid funk here and a really bright and bitter component along with the sour. The oak adds a nice depth of character and the body feels more well rounded for it. Really awesome sour here, a real treat.

Presentation: 12.70 fluid ounce (375ml) greeny-brown glass bottle which has a rather unique look to it, flask like the dimpled underside and wide base with the tall proboscis like neck lend it a wine bottle feel. Single blue label is literally saturated with information about this brew. Principle data is that this is a brown ale aged for over 12 months in pinot noir wine barrels, during that period sour cherries, Brettanomyces, lactobacillus, saccharomyces and pediococcus are added. Refermented in the bottle, it is listed at 7.00% Alc. By Vol.

Listed as Batch 001. Cork and Caged with a white steel cap which has the words Russian River Brewing Company on it.

Appearance: Turbid ruddy sunset red-orange body that lays a rust bloom rainbow on my keyboard as the light from my desk lamp refracts through my Gueuze glass. Shame on me, I disobeyed the advice on the label, it recommends a Duvelian Goblet and not a straight sided glass, but I like to go against the grain (grape?) once in a while. The head forms into a manageable off-white beige covering that leaves a disappearing sliding lacing on the straight sided glass walls. Gentle swirls reveal a fizzing dissolved carbonation that regresses slowly. Final pour forms a lovely looking light brown uniform cap that stays around for some time.

Taste: Starts with some sweetness, it flies quickly into a malty sour Brune which has a distinctive Belgian parentage that has benefited from a sunny education in the Wine laden region of Santa Rosa. The sour cherry rises in the middle but finishes with a red grape feel which imparts a warming glow on the tongue and cheeks. Immense talent shines in the relative youngster, it has a long way to go, and it is going to be one to keep an eye on. Established Lambic like character meets a Vino Youngster.

Mouthfeel: Acidic, dry, sharp, tingly, flashingly lambic-like, fleetingly sweet, prevalently sour, shockingly big. Take a mouthful of this, swirl it in the aural cavity, the feel of the dissolution of the dissolved carbonation is fucking huge, enough to produce a nasal backwash burp and cherry flavored bogies. The swallow is dessicacringent (I think that is a new word I just invented) followed by a cherry laden lambic twang with a low lying cheek pulling Kriek feel.

Drinkability: I hear that this one is gonna be available in 1.5 liter Magnums soon wonder if they will sell those by Mail Order? Im seriously tempted if they do. Needless to say, 12.7 fl.oz. is just *NOT* enough!! Dump the little bottles and start sticking this one in 750s as at least as a minimum Vinnie.

Overall: Nice to try this one fresh, so to speak, but it is going to be a real pleasure to watch this one grow up.

Bottled 062212, this is an old one. Figured it would be a good 1000th review.

Pours orangey copper with pink glints. The fizzy head lasts about 20 seconds before disappearing and not leaving much lace on the glass. Gorgeous cherry and oak notes mingling with some funk in the nose. Cherry, raspberry, lemon, irony oak notes, horse blanket, tropical fruit and bready malt. The finish is super dry and fruity, lasting a good while. The mouthfeel is full of carbonation, not as prickly as champagne but very active.

This is a fantastic Wild Ale. Deservedly a benchmark of the style. So complex and juicy, and it holds up to age fantastically. A must try for anyone.